1. Field of Invention
This present invention generally relates to golf club grips and, more particularly, to an improved golf club grip having a non-uniform configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
The game of golf is, by nature, intensely competitive for both professional and recreational players. The lucrative commercial market for improvements to provide these golfers with an “edge” that will improve their games and lower their scores, provides a significant incentive to seek further improvements to even the very best advances to the game. It is well recognized that, to successfully play the game of golf, the player must impose his or her control over the shaft and head of the golf club during the swing. It is also well recognized that the golfer's use of the fingers and palm of each hand is essential in achieving a proper “feel” for the golf club so as to properly control the shaft and head during the swing. How the golfer can best use the fingers and palm of the hands in controlling the club dictates how well a golfer is able to play the game of golf.
Proper finger and timing control over a golf club will dictate the flight of the ball when struck by the golf club. If the face of the golf club does not strike the ball squarely, the flight of the ball will be diverted from the intended direction. Most recreational golfers do not having physical difficulty with grasping and holding a conventional golf club; however most do not have sufficient skill or coordination to strike the golf ball squarely on a consistent basis. As such, the recreational golfer typically “hooks” or “slices” the ball as opposed to hitting the ball straight and in the intended direction. In fact, the Professional Golf Association (PGA) estimates that 98% of all recreational golfers tend to “slice” the ball.
One of the problems inherent in the conventional construction of golf clubs is the substantially uniform and unchanging design and construction of golf club grips. A conventional golf club grip has an external surface which, when mounted on the shaft of a golf club, has a generally cylindrical configuration with the diameter of the grip decreasing in a substantially uniform manner from the cap end of the grip to the shaft end of the grip. Thus, in a conventional golf club grip, the diameter of the shaft end of the grip is less than the diameter of the grip at the cap end of the grip.
For a right-handed golfer, the right hand (dominant hand) is placed below the left hand and is substantially adjacent to the shaft end of the grip. As a general rule, when a right-handed golfer grips the club in this manner, the dominant, right hand provides most of the power when the golf club strikes the ball. The reverse is true for left-handed golfers. Because the golfer's dominant hand will grip the narrow end of the grip with a conventional-taper design, some serious control problems can arise.
The reduced grip diameter at the shaft end may result in the golfer having less control over the alignment of the face of the golf club when it strikes the ball. This loss in control is caused by the golfer's inability to relax the right hand which, in turn, causes tension in the wrists and the arms during the swing. Further, the left hand portion of a conventional grip is larger for the right-handed golfer. The reverse is true for left-handed golfers. This requires the golfer to hold the grip's largest diameter by the two smallest fingers of the hand which, in turn, causes pronation restriction and possible loss of the club during the swing, which is evidenced by a golfer having a hole in the glove due to constant rubbing and wearing away of the glove as a result of this loss of control.
This size issue typically causes the golfer to carry or hold the grip in the palm instead of the fingers which, again, causes tension in both wrists during the swing. The combination of these factors tends to cause the golfer to squeeze the grip which precludes a normal and timely pronation of the hands, which is necessary to keep the club head square when it impacts the ball. This control problem is exacerbated by both the lack of a repeatable means of consistently positioning the golf club in the golfer's hands so that the club face will more consistently impact the golf ball squarely rather than at an angle and by the tendency of the golf club to slip in the golfer's hands, causing a “hook” or a “slice,” which results from an off-center impact.
The device disclosed by this application promotes a more correct grip positioning with memory that allows the golfer to carry or hold the grip more loosely in the fingers because of the reverse taper feature. This, in turn, reduces or eliminates hand and/or wrist tension in both hands thereby giving the golfer more control over the swing. Because the swing is now relaxed, the golfer enjoys a natural and full “release” through the golf club's impact with the golf ball which leads to longer and straighter shots and a more enjoyable sport. The device disclosed by this application also promotes consistent positioning of the golf club in the golfer's hands because of the “Y” shaped “reminder rib” feature (such as a baseball pitcher will find a seam on a baseball as reminder for their proper and repeatable finger positioning). The device disclosed by this application works extremely well as evidenced by the on going and increasing commercial success of the device disclosed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. D449,866 issued to Miller (2001) discloses a club head, U.S. Pat. No. D504,972 issued to Miller (2005) discloses a golf club grip, and U.S. Pat. No. D504,928 (2005) discloses a golf club grip. Patents pending and allowed to Miller include Ser. No. 29/229,971 a golf club grip, Ser. No. 29/229,972 a golf club grip, Ser. No. 29/229,973 a golf club grip and Ser. No. 29/229,974 a golf club grip.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,265 issued to Enlow (2005) discloses a reverse taper grip for attachment to an elongated golf club shaft or other similar handle or the like, the grip being formed of resilient synthetic resin material and presenting an outer gripping surface of reverse taper design along at least a portion of the grip. No means for consistent positioning, such as a “reminder rib,” is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,453 issued to Rosasco (1972) discloses a golf club with a finger orienting grip having a flat portion combined with finger positioning to desirably orient hands relative to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,647 issued to Jacques (1974) discloses a grip with a taper of reverse configuration and a knoblike enlargement acting as a stop at the free end of the grip. No “reminder rib” or other means for consistent positioning is disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 2001-46568 issued to Hiroshi (2001) discloses golf club grips with a reverse taper but nothing therein describes or even contemplates a means for consistently positioning the golf club in the golfer's hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,891 issued to Takeuchi (1991) discloses a fitting-angle adjustment mark for a grip of a golf club. The rear end surface of the grip, which fits on the rear portion of a club shaft, provides graduations of the mark directly or by means of an element separate from the grip at predetermined angular intervals with reference to a back line of the grip. A reverse taper grip is not disclosed or described.
U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0228929 submitted by Miyasu (2003) discloses a golf club grip that might have a means to aid the golfer in positioning the golf club in the hands, but does not disclose the use of this structure as a positioning feature. Further, this disclosure does not contemplate the use of such means on anything but a golf club grip with a conventional taper.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,578 issued to Lancaster (1986) discloses a golf club grip having a knob at the cap end of the grip with the top third of the grip slightly undersized to help promote hand and wrist action for added power and with less taper and more uniform size at the lower two thirds of the grip to discourage over controlling the club.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,548 issued to Hadge (1999) discloses a golf club grip with a knob at the cap end of the grip but does not describe or even contemplate a means for consistently positioning the golf club in the golfer's hands.
The prior art discloses several attempts to address these problems individually, but nothing in the prior art discloses or even suggests a single solution to all of the foregoing problems.
None of the prior art disclosures describe a grip with multiple reminder ribs or ridges, for consistent positioning purposes, nor do they describe a “Y” shaped reminder rib.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.